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Posted: 8:30pm Sunday 30 Sep, 2018 | By Jo Moir jo.moir@radionz.co.nz

Peters calls National ’leaderless, moribund and vacuous’

File photo

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has delivered two messages to supporters this afternoon - National's leader's time is up and the coalition government is crack-free.

Mr Peters delivered the keynote speech to more than 200 party members in Tauranga this afternoon - the same seat the Opposition leader Simon Bridges took from Mr Peters in 2008.

Mr Peters said National's behaviour since the election has only confirmed NZ First's good sense in going into coalition with Labour.

He predicts the National Party will go through two more leaders before the next election.

"National's behaviour since the election has only confirmed our good sense in choosing Labour. National is leaderless, moribund, and vacuous. It's a shell of its former self because it's been seduced by marketing. Substance will always trump shallowness so remember this, Simon Bridges will not lead National into the next election.

"He is a desperate man,'' Mr Peters said.

Mr Bridges said he wouldn't dignify the comments with a response.

Mr Peters also took aim at the media and the picture that is being painted of cracks in the Labour-led coalition.

He said the four things the media had criticised NZ First and Labour over - the refugee quota, Employment Relations legislation, Crown/Māori Relations and the three strikes law - had all been resolved.

"So we have to do some work on four things and people have gone totally ape, off their heads trying to say this is disruptive and we're not being constructive and Winston Peters has gone rogue. How ridiculous can that be?"

Mr Peters wrapped up the party's 25th annual conference telling his supporters he will see them in another 25 years.